Jim Jordan targets Arlington prosecutor in Stephen Miller doxing case
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Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). Photo: Heather Diehl/Getty Images
The Republican chair of the House Judiciary Committee has subpoenaed a progressive prosecutor in Northern Virginia over how she handled the alleged doxing of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller.
Why it matters: Rep. Jim Jordan's decision to involve Congress marks a new escalation in a politically charged incident that pitted MAGA Republicans in D.C. against Democrat-aligned justice officials in the liberal enclave of Arlington County.
Zoom in: Jordan (R-Ohio) on Friday subpoenaed Arlington's top local prosecutor, Parisa Dehghani-Tafti, for a raft of documents and communications concerning the way she handled Miller's alleged doxing last year.
- At the center of the incident is Barbara Wien, a 66-year-old retiree who posted flyers of Miller's face along with his home address around his Arlington neighborhood last Sept. 11, Axios previously reported.
The intrigue: Jordan and Miller, one of Trump's longest-serving advisers, accused Deghani-Tafti of impeding the case when, as prosecutor, she appeared to make the unusual move of siding with Wien's defense in calling for limits on an FBI search warrant.
- The state judge agreed, amending the warrant and limiting the information shared with the FBI.
What they're saying: "The appearance that you have allowed your political bias to influence an investigation involving a senior Trump administration official gives rise to substantial federal concerns," Jordan wrote to Deghani-Tafti in November, when he first requested the documents.
- Jordan's subpoena demands the files by April 7.
The other side: Dehghani-Tafti has hired prominent D.C. defense attorney Abbe Lowell, whose past clients have run the political spectrum from Jared Kushner to Hunter Biden.
- "Since President Trump took office, House Republicans have made clear that harassing political opponents takes priority over actually governing to bring down the cost of living, keep families safe from rogue federal agents, and ensure our children aren't sent off to fight illegal wars," he said in a statement to Axios.
- The subpoena about a local investigation is "clearly outside" of Jordan's jurisdiction and "plainly none of his business," Lowell adds.
Wien told the Washington Post earlier this year that her protest of Miller was not intended to be violent.
- Wien's attorney, Bradley Haywood, previously accused state police of unlawfully holding Wien's phone, saying she didn't commit a crime. "It could not be clearer," Haywood told Axios. "This is protected speech."
The backstory: According to court records and a previous interview with Miller and his wife, podcaster Katie Miller, Wien was posting flyers in their neighborhood that said: "NO NAZIS IN NOVA."
- That day, Wien walked by the Millers' home, made eye contact with Katie Miller, and made an "I'm watching you" gesture with her fingers, according to a Secret Service surveillance video clip.
- The timing of the encounter — 24 hours after the assassination of conservative activist and podcaster Charlie Kirk — led prosecutors to pursue an investigation into Wien on doxing violations, based on Virginia law and a federal statute.
- The FBI wanted to search Wien's phone, but got rebuffed by a federal judge. Virginia State Police instead secured a warrant from a local judge.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with a statement from Abbe Lowell.
